Alif now the pride of parents and teachers

Selangor's Alif Haikal Ariffuddin-Nurul Ain Ibrahim clinched gold in the mixed pairs.

PETALING JAYA: Alif Haikal Ariffuddin used to be scolded by his parents and teachers because he often skipped school to go for training. Not any more. They are proud of him now.

He is a gold medallist in lawn bowls at the Malaysian Games (Sukma).

The 20-year-old showed that all that training has been good for him when he combined superbly with Nurul Ain Ibrahim to capture gold for Selangor in the mixed pairs.

Alif and Ain fended off a strong challenge from Sarawak’s Awang Sharszan Nasaruddin and Nur Syurhaidah Asaral to narrowly win 12-10 at the Sarawak Lawn Bowls Arena in Kuching yesterday.

Alif was delighted with the win as he had only trained with Ain for two months before the competition.

"I’m so happy to have got this gold in my second stint. When my friends first introduced me to lawn bowls, I was so excited about training with them that I skipped school once or twice a month to go and practice.

"In my first Sukma two years ago, I did not win any medals but gained a lot of experience which helped me do better this time.

"I have to give credit to my partner. We only trained together for two months but we worked hard to gain a better understanding," said Alif.

For Ain, it was her second gold after having captured the title in the fours along with Damia Aleesya Mohd Irmantaha, Nur Dina Najwa Tarmizy Abdullah and Nur Najwa Batrisyia Mustakim on Friday.

"I never expected to win two golds in my second outing," said the 19-year-old.

"I’m so thankful to my partner for supporting me and staying mentally strong throughout the match."

RESULTS

Mixed pairs

Final: Alif Haikal Ariffuddin-Nurul Ain Ibrahim bt Awang Sharszan Nasaruddin- Nur Syurhaidah Asaral 12-10.

Bronze medal playoff: Mohd Amirul Naim-Nurul Munirah Rahman (FT) bt Mohd Ammar Jamaludin-Nur Hidayah Husna Abdullah (Ter) 16-8.